SF supervisors approve new 200-bed navigation center

As expected, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a new 200-bed homeless navigation center at 33 Gough, near the border of Lower Haight and the Mission and two blocks away from an existing navigation center.

“This is a neighborhood that will benefit tremendously from opportunities to get unhoused people off the street and transitioned into housing and services,” said District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney said in a statement following the vote.

The site is currently owned by City College of San Francisco—with future plans to turn it into an affordable housing development—and will be available for a three-year interim use by the city, with an annual rent of $1.26 million.

This is all part of the city’s ultimate (and possibly Sisyphean) task of solving the homelessness crisis. Mayor London Breed plans on opening at least 2,000 additional places for people experiencing homelessness over the next two years. Right now, according to the San Francisco Examiner, “there are nearly 1,000 people on a waitlist for shelter.”

No estimate date has been set for the coming navigation center. Unlike regular homeless shelters, these contemporary centers allow residents to bring their partners, pets, and belongings with them while providing support and services aimed at moving them into permanent housing.

The Health Commission will vote on a service contract for the site later this month.